"Brad loved to draw from an early age," the National Cartoonists Society statement read. "He was known to say he spent his youth 'cartooning his way through high school,' where he sold his first cartoon at age 15 to Flying Aces Magazine."

While serving in the Navy during World War II, Anderson continued to draw and went on to graduate from Syracuse University with a degree in advertising. NCS stated that he began freelancing in 1953 and, from 1954 to 1966, drew the comic strip "Grandpa's Boy" as well as "Marmaduke."

"My stepdad used to dress him up, put hats on him, neckties, scarves — and the dog seemed to like it," Anderson said. "But I wanted a larger dog. I wanted a dog that doesn't know it's a big dog, because big dogs don't realize how large they are. They want to sit in your lap."